Homebuilding, TEOTWAWKI Style

Seems to me you could incorporate a shelter right into your house. A six inch six bag reinforced slab with twenty four inch rodded footings on the
perimeter at a foot thick. Then have eight inch pored and rodded 6 bag concrete walls for the basement walls. Rerods could be every two feet in the
walls. Steel I beams every four feet and a poured top with foot by foot half inch rodded reinforcement on the six inch 6 bag concrete ceiling slab
with flyash added for the top. The basement could have double reinforced glass block windows. Now build a regular house on top using hurricane straps
every four feet and an eight twelve pitch roof to deflect wind better. This shouldn't cost much more than a regular basement. Maybe five to ten
grand more on a fifteen hundred sq. foot home. A PVC airpipe could be brought out to a concrete structure outside for fresh air incorporating a
filtering system. Even if the house burns the basement would be safe if a heavy duty fireproof door is installed on the basement. It would be nice
to have a driven point and hand pump in the basement if possible. A small septic tank and drainfield would be nice too for the basement. That would
be another five grand for the well and small drain system. Cement or brick walls could be installed in the basement as dividers also if desired.

I like the concept. Don't forget that the 322,000 gets you a net zero energy usage home. It uses the energy it produces and is a completely self
contained home. Over the course of 30 years (average mortgage) including electricity, heating, and water you can surmise that the AVERAGE house hold
cost (180,000) in New England would be:

$545,232.00 not including taxes,pmi

So if you mortgage out a home that won't cost you anything more than the 322,000.00 mortgage for a total of

$587,350.00 not including taxes,pmi

so for about 40k more you can get food production, self contained without a longer term water payment. Don't forget that your water, electricity and
heating bills will continue long after the mortgage of that average priced house is paid off. so lets say another 20 years in the home and your bills
will continue at about 81600.

This is all if utility costs stay the same over 50 years. Which we all know isn't going to happen.

Na i have been following simon for quite a few years now, before he
started classes and when he was building his first one. I use to be part of
a alternative online group that came up with ideas, he presented this one
and then as they say the rest was history.

There was a build in OR last summer, i wish i was able to join them.

One advantage to simon is if someone wants a home, he broadcast it to everyone
and people are invited to come help build and learn the trade getting hands on
experience.

My goal is to have 5 to 10 acres up in the mountains away from everything and build one of these
with all the off/grid goodies, with any luck i would find a year round running stream i could use hydro
power, but there are many other ways to generate power. satellite net/tv and a good sceptic system and
well and forget about the world.
The only draw back is putting in a well at 6K plus feet, gets expensive in many cases. So land with
running water would be important, it would cost more initially but in the long run, i think it woulud save
you a bundle.

True, run the heat through the floor, put in a gypsum floor with the hoses and you have heat issue solved,
i agree with the fireplace idea, would be much more efficient than just the open hole at the top.

If only i was rich, although for this idea one would not need to be to rich, just enough to cover cost
of land and building stuff, the nice thing about these type houses is very little to no maintenance so
when you are in your retirement age, there is not much to worry about.

Cement would be a great way to go, wonder what type of R Value the cement would have,
although one could run the pipes for heat through the wall's as well, you have a fire anyway
giving the inside heat.

One of these days i keep telling myself. *lol*
unlike a lot of the population i dont require much to get by, no need
for the fancy latest new gadget's, just basic's and i am fine.

it depends on what all bells and whistles you want. But I can tell you right now that guy is blowing smoke up your ass on that price he gave you
unless you want to finish it like an upper middle class small mansion.

The email was from the son of the founder, Mike Reynolds. That is for normal finish-out, with their crew and all systems. No special items or
furnishings. I was appalled at the price. So back to what I do best, sort out alternatives and find expertise!

Over the course of 30 years (average mortgage) including electricity, heating, and water you can surmise that the AVERAGE house hold cost (180,000) in
New England would be: $545,232.00 not including taxes,pmi

You're assuming I'm much younger than I am. I figure, statistically speaking, I have about 749 Weeks left on this earth. So the there isn't a
payback on the ROI for me. Don't think the kids are interested. sigh.

My goal is to have 5 to 10 acres up in the mountains away from everything and build one of these
with all the off/grid goodies, with any luck i would find a year round running stream i could use hydro
power, but there are many other ways to generate power. satellite net/tv and a good sceptic system and
well and forget about the world.

Well, I've found a few nice properties in the Missoula area, within 45 miles anyway, that are going in the 20k~30k range. Doable if you have a job.
We will relocate to either Kalispell (Flathead area), Helena, or Dillon. Properties in those areas are harder to find or be able to afford.

A 3kW photo-voltaic system, which is OK for a small family, or lots for a single person, will run on the order of $10-15k US at today's prices. It's
doable. Hydro is by far the best choice since you have a small amount of juice running into the batteries 24/7, but you will pay a premium for the
land.

The only draw back is putting in a well at 6K plus feet, gets expensive in many cases. So land with
running water would be important, it would cost more initially but in the long run, i think it woulud save
you a bundle.

The properties I've been looking at in the area have well reports from about 5900' MSL. Three of the wells are 600' and put out about 30 gppm. One
was a shallow well, 180' and was 19 gppm. Cost would be about a grand per 100' of depth. Then add 600-800 for the pump.

True, run the heat through the floor, put in a gypsum floor with the hoses and you have heat issue solved,
i agree with the fireplace idea, would be much more efficient than just the open hole at the top.

If only i was rich, although for this idea one would not need to be to rich, just enough to cover cost
of land and building stuff, the nice thing about these type houses is very little to no maintenance so
when you are in your retirement age, there is not much to worry about.

You don't need to be rich. That was my wife's mantra when we first started considering this 13 years ago. Doing it later is a guarantee that it
will never happen. Start with the land, absorb that cost and start building as you can. Maybe you have a "vacation" home for a few years.

Cement would be a great way to go, wonder what type of R Value the cement would have,
although one could run the pipes for heat through the wall's as well, you have a fire anyway
giving the inside heat.

Cement has a minimal R value, but it provides great thermal mass. Add R by insulating the outside of the concrete with a spray type insulation.
Harden maybe, like someone above mentioned.

One of these days i keep telling myself. *lol*
unlike a lot of the population i dont require much to get by, no need
for the fancy latest new gadget's, just basic's and i am fine.

Today is one of those days! Find a way or make one; the time and occasion is now.

Those are good prices on the land. Not bad at all.
Ya that was my plan, for now use it as a weekend getaway,
a spot to camp while working on it, then slowly build it into what i want
in the end.

I wish today was the day, sadly for the next few years any ideas of funding
will be to cover medical cost. Shoot the odds are not in my favor that i will be
around in a few years, let alone building something like this.

I had changed jobs, as limited as they were here to make any decent cash, i went
into truck driving, not a glamours job but decent pay, my goals were to get our current
house paid off and then put a chunk away and buy land and start.
I was on track to have the house paid off and was looking to start to seriously shop for land
in a year or two, then things went south and my doc ordered me to quit work and apply for
disability. So not only did we go through all the savings we had, but my goal of making a
home like this a reality vaporised in one dr visit.

Who knows, have to see how/if things pan out and go from there.
But never hurts to have goals.

Who knows, have to see how/if things pan out and go from there.
But never hurts to have goals.

This is true. We have been, and are going through, something similar. My wife hasn't been able to work for the past four years, and her doc wants
her to apply for disability as well. I was released from my position in Dec. And what the medical bills last year didn't take out of our reserves,
no work is draining the rest. So I understand, but if you aim high, then even if you don't make it, you still be higher than where you were when you
started!

Over the course of 30 years (average mortgage) including electricity, heating, and water you can surmise that the AVERAGE house hold cost (180,000) in
New England would be: $545,232.00 not including taxes,pmi

You're assuming I'm much younger than I am. I figure, statistically speaking, I have about 749 Weeks left on this earth. So the there isn't a
payback on the ROI for me. Don't think the kids are interested. sigh.

I'm sorry to hear that you feel you have such a short time left with us. Here's to making the most of it!

Earthship Update: Chris Reynolds of Earthship Biotecture emailed me back today to clarify the pricing. The US
$215/sqft is for their "top-tier" turnkey package which is where after you sign-off on the drawings, you move in a month or so later with the only
labor supplied by you is in writing the cheque (do people still write those things??). We are now working on getting some average costing done via a
set of assumptions, such as 50% owner labor, all new products (i.e., no recycled windows, etc.). I will post as I hear back from him.

I understand that they don't have the problem of extreme temperatures due to better insulation.

There is also some kind of ceramic spray that can be applied to other structures like this that aren't so well insulated, but it might be expensive.

Ceramic spray insulation works really well actually. I worked on developing a product with a water filtration company to supply aid to third world
countries with limited clean water supply. We used a large shipping container stripped and sprayed with ceramic insulation, 4 capsule style beds,
water filtration unit and 2 x 50,000 gallon water bladders with solar panels on roof. It had a small septic system and stove for the aid workers
shipped in to get the set up running for the locals. Very inexpensive to build and slept 4. Without the giant bladder it would easily accommodate
more creature comforts, but these were solely to help small villages filter and contain clean water supplies.

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